Cracker Jacks

H/T Moonbattery

CBO to Obama: Drop Dead

Well, the good old Congressional Budget Office has stuck it to Obama again. Not that I'm complaining. The CBO is a non-partisan office whose job is to "score" legislation -- that is, tell Congress what the laws they think up would cost. So Obama submitted the latest version of his health care fiasco to CBO to see how much would be saved. $2 billion!!!! Wow! You know, that's a lot of money.

Except -- well, it's less than 1% of the projected spending. Not that I would turn down $2 billion if they sent me the check. But it doesn't mean squat compared to the trillions they plan on spending. $1,000,000,000,000. That's a trillion. Big number, huh? Comrade Zero just can't catch a break...which is a good thing.

I saw a line that made me stop cold. Here's a screen shot:

The highlight is mine. Stop and think about that line for a nanosecond. CBO says that savings can come by "reducing the quantity and intensity of services provided".

In English: You want to save money? Stop paying for stuff.

Like your blood pressure medicine, or your cholesterol medicine, or your diabetes testing strips. Or just a damn MRI to see if you have torn your rotator cuff...let alone the surgery to fix it.

Folks, if you're not pissed off about this, you are not paying attention.
Be afraid of Comrade Obama. Be very afraid.

Here's a link to the CBO website where you can get the entire letter.

H/T Politico

US ARMY new UAV

Here's a new VTOL drone that's in testing.


This is pretty cool. It can carry up to 4 Hellfire missiles, and can cruise at 400 knots. That's pretty slick. Others are slower and carry fewer missiles, or, like the Reaper, can carry 14 Hellfires. But this is the only VTOL. This would provide greater flexibility in getting them closer to the battlefield, and allow a unit to deploy one in an independent support role. As in, "Oh sh*t, let's get that thing airborne NOW".

Here's some video from YouTube.

H/T FoxNew

Fight Tyranny and Gov't Intervention

Sound almost like a lefty screed? Almost...

Here's an idea.

(Doesn't have the same effect as the old lightbulb picture, does it?)

THE BOSS and I are stocking up on on incandescent bulbs...mostly because CFL bulbs suck (we've tried 'em), but I have to admit that it gives me great pleasure to know that I'll be thumbing my nose at the idiots in Washington, as they try to require us to switch.

I also like this web site:

Only one problem...would sending these to the EPA qualify as shipping hazardous materials through the mail?

Damned if I do, damned if I don't. Figures.

H/T Sendyourlightbulbstowashington.com

Obama Shoots Foot; Health Plan Won't Cover

He screwed the pooch tonight. Conservatives don't have to fight too hard after this pathetic performance; he was so bad tonight that the American public will walk away saying, "No way, no how".

He ducked the direct question of "will you require the Administration to abide by the public option?". If he had said "yes", the public might -- might -- have said, "OK, we'll try it". That was his Waterloo.

And saying that maybe a child's tonsils should not be taken out, but that there are other options? I can tell you that when I was 8 and my tonsils were taken out, there were no other options -- except for me to suffer through ear infections, sore throats, etc.

Put a fork in the current Health Care Bill...it's done.

There are How Many Types of People?

You either get it, or you don't.

H/T Wired

Stop Digging

You know the old saying...when you're in a hole and over your head, STOP DIGGING!

H/T The Foundry

Obamacare

H/T GetLiberty.org

Eat My Boxer Shorts

To: Mr. Harry C Alford
Fr: Texan in Wisconsin
Sj: Truth to Power

Mr. Alford:

I commend your honesty, bravery, and coolness under fire. These traits reflect well on your experience in the United States Army. I know many soldiers and civilians who hold you in high esteem for your no-b.s. response to Ma'am Boxer. Bravo, sir.



I'm going to make a contribution to the National Black Chamber of Commerce in the name of a fallen soldier.

H/T This Ain't Hell

Overdue Praise

I'm at DFW, waiting for a flight to Toronto. I noticed that the crash trucks were rolling, and waiting by the side of the runway. Turns out that an American Airlines MD-80 landed without incident...the trucks followed the plane to the gate next to mine.

Remember the firefighters and emergency personnel who are waiting to put their lives on the line to protect yours.

PS. Notice on the right side of the picture that my plane is not here yet. Terrific.

Buy a Ford

I had an earlier post about buying a new Ford SUV. I've got 160k+ miles on the Suburban.

It's about time for a new truck. The air conditioning belt shredded at 11pm on Thursday night as we were driving from Wisconsin to Dallas. That last 6 hours with no a/c in 104 degree heat (through Oklahoma, no less!) was pretty warm.



I'm buying a Ford while I'm down here in Dallas. Not because of this commercial...but to support it.

H/T Moonbattery

Annie, Get yer Gun

Texas has a CCW law. So does Michigan, Arizona, Oklahoma...I could go on for 48 states. Only Illinois and Wisconsin do not give you the automatic right to get a Concealed Carry Permit (assuming you pass the test, and can prove you're not a felon). In Wisconsin, your local sheriff can give you a carry permit, but good luck getting one, unless you're a former cop. Sigh. Thanks, Gov Pea-Brain.

I saw a post over at Exurban League about new carry laws in Arizona:

• If you have your CCW, you can carry concealed into bars or restaurants that serve alcohol as long as they don't post otherwise and you yourself don't drink.
• You can have a gun in your car, even if your workplace bans them in the office itself.
• You can use a defensive display of your CCW gun and warn an attacker as a trip-wire between confrontation and engagement.

As Kevin (who wrote it) notes, these are sensible, reasonable, and needed laws. Except you have to be able to get a CCW, ya know? My brother-in-law, over in Michigan, just shakes his head and packs his pistol away when he comes down to see us. Yet when I go up to our hunting grounds in Michigan, he's got it. I don't blame him...I would too, if I could get one.

What in the world are Gov Doyle, Senator Feingold, and Senator Kohl afraid of?



My little-ole H&K? Naw.

Remembering Tony Snow, Patricia Buckley Bozell, and Staff Sgt Eric Linstrom

UPDATED BELOW:

I'm a big fan of Tony Snow...I use the present tense, even though Tony died a year ago yesterday (July 12th). I go back over his writing from time to time to recall what we mean by "decent", "honest", "fair", and "principled" when these words are used to describe the president's press secretary. Many people ask if we are related, and, sadly no, we are not. But I always had the feeling that he was talking to me when he was answering a question or giving a speech. Tony had that gift...to talk without being preach-y, and to get to the point without flourishes. Would that I could speak half as well.

Patricia Buckley Bozell also died a year ago on July 12th. She was the sister of William F Buckley, Jr. I had no occasion to meet her or to know her, but I hear she was all class. I did meet her son Brent III in the Reagan National Airport early in 2008. I have been a big fan of his for years, and he also went to college in Dallas, so we may have met before that day at National. I simply introduced myself and told him I was a fan. He was gracious and courteous...unlike how I would be if interrupted in the middle of a quick meal before a flight.

Later that afternoon, I was in the security line (a long one at National, as usual). Brent came up to the front of the line, and started asking folks if he could go ahead, as his plane had been changed and he would miss it if he didn't go through immediately. I doubt most people recognized him (no insult to Brent; I simply heard many say "glad I'm not in his shoes" instead of "wow, there goes Brent Bozell!"). When he asked the assembled crowd if it was ok to go to the front, I joked "sure...for five bucks". He had this panicked look on his face, but then he recognized me from earlier and waved a friendly wave, and called me by name. Now, how many folks do you get introduced to in a week for the first time where you remember his or her name? I was impressed. I didn't even buy him a beer!

The US lost one soldier yesterday. He or she has not been identified as of this writing.

UPDATE:

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Staff Sgt. Eric J. Lindstrom, 27, of Flagstaff, Ariz., died July 12 near Barge Matal, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms and indirect fire. He was assigned to the 1^st Battalion, 32^nd Infantry Regiment, 3^rd Brigade Combat Team, 10^th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

For more information media may contact the Fort Drum Public Affairs Office at (315) 772-8286.

RIP SGT LINDSTROM. I will remember you each and every day, but especially on July 12. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice to keep us free.

I'm telling this story because my birthday was yesterday, and I now associate that day with these four people...Tony Snow, Patricia and Brent Bozell, and that unknown soldier (I'll update this post when I learn the name of the soldier). These are not happy thoughts, but grateful, and not maudlin. I simply recalled yesterday that while we were celebrating, there were not a few families who have sad memories of July 12th. For those, we say a prayer on my birthday. Then we make a toast to those friends and family present and gone, and celebrate life!

Obamanation - The Song

Pretty good tune.



My favorite line: "I hunt deer, and on the weekends I drink beer". Amen, brother.

H/T Hot Air

Michael Jackson Memorial Service (yawn)

Here's what the Washington Post says will be the TV programming highlights for today. I've listed what I'll be doing during each segment.

PRE-MEMORIAL SERVICE

6 a.m. "American Morning" (CNN) kicks off with Kiran Chetry in Los Angeles.

(I'll be sleeping, like most sane Americans.)

7 a.m. "The Early Show" (CBS) with Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith joins in from the Staples Center, and so does Meredith Vieira on "Today" (NBC).

(Still sleeping...hey, I'm up late...it's 3.30 am here.)

11 a.m. MSNBC has Chris Jansing reporting live.

(Working: Conference call with London office. I know -- working is something foreign to Michael Jackson and most of his fans -- but that's another story.)

12 p.m. MTV and VH1 air a collection of Jackson's greatest hits and interviews; Shepard Smith starts coverage on Fox News Channel; BET begins "Forever the King: Memorial to Michael Jackson" with celebrity guest interviews; Anderson Cooper, Larry King, Don Lemon and Soledad O'Brien are on CNN; "The Bachelor" host Chris Harris anchors on TV Guide.

(Working: I have a day job, and it's 10-12 hours a day.)

MEMORIAL SERVICE

1 p.m. The service at the Staples Center has no end time, but some are projecting 2:30 p.m.; networks and channels airing the service include ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News Channel, E!, TV Guide, TV One, MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, Telemundo and Univision.

(Still working. What? You think I'm gonna turn this crap on? No way...I'm turning on CSPAN and hope to catch New York's Rep Peter King say something about MJ.)

POST-MEMORIAL SERVICE

6:30 p.m. "CBS Evening News With Katie Couric" has coverage, as does "Nightly News With Brian Williams" (NBC).

(While savoring a nice thick steak, I'll tune in Fox News to watch coverage of the riots.)

9 p.m. "20/20" (ABC) has a special edition hosted by Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters.

(I'll be watching Hannity. Nuff said.)

10 p.m. "Primetime: Family Secrets" (ABC) focuses on the custody battle over Jackson's children with Debbie Rowe; "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" (Fox News Channel) reports from Los Angeles; Lester Holt reports on "Dateline" with reaction from fans.

(Greta? Nope...will be watching Larry Kudlow on the TIVO.)

Doesn't anyone else think this whole MJ thing is a waste of time?
These folks need to get jobs...jeez, we could take unemployment back below 5%.

Now I'm Un-American

The LA Times called me "un-American" for supporting TEA Parties. He's not worth going to jail over, so I won't punch this punk in the mouth.

Here's the quote:

In such a climate, it strikes me as . . . well, almost un-American to be griping so vehemently about helping those less fortunate. Were this a war, we'd all dig a little deeper to buy guns and battleships.

Well, we're in a war, and we've got to dig a little deeper to provide jobs and economic band-aids. We will. When pressed, we are a pretty amazing country.

I'd be happy to dig a little deeper...and help out someone who needs it. It's called community service, and it's best left to your church, your local volunteer groups, your personal choice...anyone except Washington. If they didn't take 50% of my pay and waste half of that, I wouldn't bitch so much.

The good news? No one reads the LATimes any more, so no one will know I'm un-American.

Read the whole thing (if you have your laugh reflex in check).

H/T American Power

Dear Senator Murkowski: STFU

I like Sarah Palin. I think she's been a good governor, and I voted for her in the Presidential election (Lord knows, I didn't vote for McCain). Texans and Alaskans like one another; we like the can-do attitudes, and we both have a great oil bidnez that rewards wildcatters and those who take chances. We admire self-reliance, and don't like handouts

I was therefore very interested in her resignation from Alaska's governors office. I don't know why she did it, and I don't really go in for a lot of speculation. Folks that guess others' motives typically guess wrong. So I thought I'd wait until Ms. Palin tells us why she's doing this.

Now we hear from Alaska Senator Murkowski:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today made the following statement after Gov. Sarah Palin’s announcement that she plans to step down as governor later this month.

“I am deeply disappointed that the Governor has decided to abandon the State and her constituents before her term has concluded.”

Sen. Murkowski is in interior Alaska and communicating via satellite phone and is unavailable for follow up questions. She will be available on Monday afternoon.

Since I don't know Palin's motives, and I don't think Murkowski does, either, I think that Lisa-baby should shut her pie-hole until we find out a little more. What if there's a medical reason for Palin to step down (God forbid)? Murkowski would end up needing a bucket of barbecue sauce to eat those words. It's hard enough defending against all of the Democraps who are trying to make sure Palin has no credibility should she run again. We don't need fellow Republicans piling on.

I'm happy to give Palin time to tell us all what's up. Until then, let's all concentrate on seeing that Obama fails.

H/T The Corner

Happy Independence Day

Say a prayer for those who are in harm's way, defending our rights -- and for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure we survive as a beacon of freedom in the world.

A Sickness at Google

It must be a disease they have over at Google. What else could explain their total lack of patriotism? They have no sense of the freedoms that this country offers. Those same freedoms are the reasons Sergey Brin and crew are billionaires, and many, many employees are millionaires. I know he's Russian, but he's enjoying all of the freedom and liberty this country offers, and they can't come up with something better than this?


Seriously, it's not about a picnic!

I worked for a company that was bought up by Google. My fellow employees were hard-working, loyal and patriotic Americans. We also had a few foreigners (mostly Chinese) who were so grateful to be in the US, grateful for the opportunities that this great land gave them.

How does an institution get this tone deaf?

Government Motors Marketing Campaign

I received this letter in email from the President of GM America:
(click to enlarge)

The gist of the letter is that because I'm an existing GM owner, he wants to assure me that he would like to earn my business when I buy a new truck. And that it's business as usual at GM. Except for one little detail...see it? It's the part where he assures me that my new vehicle will be covered with a "US government-backed warranty". If that doesn't make you want to run away from the showroom, you're from Russia.



Needless to say, I'm not too happy with Gov't Motors. I wish my tax dollars didn't go there. I especially dislike the Nazi tactics around closing dealers. How can you justify the government stepping into a valid, legal contract between two private parties?

Anyway, I thought I'd take this opportunity to express my displeasure. So here's what I wrote:




Of course, it was silly of me to expect a real answer. This is what I got.


And that part about "we will have a response to you very shortly"? Still waiting. It's been 3 weeks.

But that's what kind of delay I would expect at the Parts Dept at Government Motors.

How's that Stimulus Working for Ya?

H/T CafePress

And Now for Something Completely Different

About the time they see Lost in Space, they'll come looking for us...



I guess we're going to find out if the Klingons like how they look on TV.
(Click for larger).

H/T Abstruse Goose

Invitation to President Obama

Here's what THE BOSS is proposing:

I am inviting President Obama and any of his staff to our home for an hour long Townhall Meeting. The citizens at this meeting will be from the families living in our cul-de-sac. We will be asking questions that will NOT be given to you or your staff prior to this meeting. We want you to look us in the eye and answer our questions. We will pay to hire an independent person to video tape this meeting; after the meeting the tape will be released to all television stations that request a copy.

President Obama, do you have the nerve to go one on one with middle class, hard working families living in middle America?

It's up to you.

Take it, run with it, put it up on your blog. This is Wisconsin, for God's sake, one of the most liberal states in the nation. He should be comfortable here.

We're going to fax this to the White House. What are the odds?

Your Tax Dollars At Rest -- Energy Czarina Browner

Swearing Alert...after the video.



SHE HASN'T EVEN READ THE BILL?!?!?! So what the f**k does she do all day?

Let's see...give tax dollars to GM: that gives Obama the right to fire the CEO. But give tax dollars to an Energy Czar and...she doesn't even do her JOB? Fire this worthless thug.

H/T Moonbattery

The Obama Doctrine

H/T Get Liberty.org

America - Lost

Nuff said.

Are You a Treasonous Bastard?

Paul Krugman, in the New York Times:

So the House passed the Waxman-Markey climate-change bill. In political terms, it was a remarkable achievement. But 212 representatives voted no. A handful of these no votes came from representatives who considered the bill too weak, but most rejected the bill because they rejected the whole notion that we have to do something about greenhouse gases. And as I watched the deniers make their arguments, I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason — treason against the planet.

I'm going to have a t-shirt made..."Hold Your Breath or You Are Committing Treason!"

Krugman is so dumb, it's amazing his skull doesn't cave in from the vacuum between his ears.

H/T The Corner & CafePress

Cutting Taxes? Not So Much...

Hope and Change, eh?

I will cut taxes--cut taxes--for 95% of all working families.
In an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raising
taxes on the middle-class.
(Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic Natl Convention Aug 27, 2008 )

Here's some change for you...

President Obama's top political adviser refused today to rule out the possibility that the White House might agree to a tax hike on health insurance plans that would hit middle-income Americans.

Speaking on ABC's "This Week" program, David Axelrod declined to repeat Obama's "firm pledge" during the campaign that families making under $250,000 will not see "any form of tax increase, not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."

Instead, Axelrod said the president has no interest in "drawing lines in the sand" on the issue of how to pay for the costly health reform plan making its way through Congress.

"One of the problems we've had in this town is that people draw lines in the sand and they stop talking to each other. And you don't get anything done," Axelrod said. "That's not the way the president approaches this."

Looks like this one is going to rank with George H.W.'s "read my lips" line.

H/T RightWing News

Botox Pelosi and the 5 Dwarf-minded

With apologies to the Brothers Grimm...



We endured a bit of drama on Friday, with the House passing the Cap & Tax Bill. I had the DVR on C-SPAN all afternoon, and was watching the hijinks. Some random thoughts:

1. Waxman is a pussy. He'd get his ass kicked in any argument with Republican Reps, if they'd just cross the aisle and punch him out.
2. Waxman at one point said (paraphrasing), "I would like quiet in my House". No shit, Sherlock...so would we all. But we're too busy running kids to baseball, changing diapers, answering the phone from the bank, and, you know, WORKING. I thought it was incredibly egotistic of him to presume that it was "his" house. I own it, damn it; paid with my tax dollars.
3. Rep Ellen Tauscher was presiding over the debate and the vote. She's leaving the House to work for Obama as UnderSecretary of Popguns. Good riddance.
4. Tauscher and Rep Joe Barton had the best back-and-forth of the day. The 300-page amendment added at 3am by Dems wasn't even on the floor of the House, where it is REQUIRED. Joe Barton asked incredulously about reading the stupid thing...as in, "Can we get a copy so that we can read what we're voting on?". Incredibly, Tauscher acted like my third-grade teacher and was a condescending ass. How dare you ask for a copy?, she seemed to be saying. Again, good riddance to this bitch.
5. Kudos to John Boehner for reading excerpts of the bill, and from the 300-page amendment.
6. In case you missed #1, Waxman is a pussy.

The good news is that this may not make it through the Senate, but even if it does, it can be undone with a simple bill in 2010: "The Cap and Trade Stupidity Bill is hereby repealed in all respects. Never mind. Go back and save money."

And you had better vote against these traitor Republicans who voted FOR this idiocy. They could have stopped it. See Michelle Malkin for the whole story and background on these RINO's.

H/T Michelle Malkin

You Will Not Be Safe with OBAMA as President

Check out this chart.

With military spending falling below the average of 5.3% of GDP, we face a more dangerous world with fewer and fewer weapons. And taking that spending down to 3% means that we won't have weapons to shoot down missiles from North Korea, Iran, or any old idiot who puts one up in Cuba. You want COB and his minions to come to the rescue when there's trouble? You gotta pay for grunts, guns, and gunboats, plus gun platforms in the air.

And the US Navy...how many ships will be around to answer the President when he asks the first question President's always ask when there's a crisis..."Where are the carriers?". 283 today, projected to fall to 225, or even lower, by 2020. You can't build ships overnight. We need to spend money now to make sure we have a 300-ship navy in 10 years. And we had a 600-ship Navy during Vietnam, and 480 under Reagan, who tried like hell to fund a 500-ship Navy.

Folks, for all of our sakes, we need to build a larger Navy!!! Take the money away from ACORN, dammit.

PS. I'm not forgetting you, COB. Fund SPECWAR at double it's current budget.
There, I'll get a birthday card this year. July 12th.

H/T Heritage.org

Republic Airways to buy Midwest

Told ya.



vs



http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=news/REP06259.xml

I'll give Republic/Midwest one year, then they are done. Put a fork in 'em.

Southwest will take over Milwaukee, and that's that.

I'll Be There - NOT

Just saw a State Farm commercial with the Jackson 5 song "I'll Be There". Featuring, um, Michael Jackson.

I would have thought State Farm would have pulled the commercial. What's the new tag line: "I'll be there...'cept I'm dead, so maybe not so much."

I woulda pulled the ad. Just saying.

Cap and Trade: Test Case

Before the morons in Congress pass the 1200-page Waxman-Idiot bill, how about we submit a test case to see how much a typical CO2 emission would cost? Then maybe we could get a feel for how much this is going to suck out of the economy.

Let's try, say, this:

How much carbon monoxide, dioxide, trioxide, and just plain crap is this spewing into the air?

Who do we send the bill to? And, golly, shouldn't we go clean it up or sumpin?
Couldn't we just drop Henry Waxman on the volcano? He's so full of crap he'll plug it up.

H/T The Daily Mail

Obama Gets Tough on Iran -- Sorta

No comment needed.


H/T Brutally Honest

The American Century - Thanks to Wellington

Here's a very good one-pager on how we owe our freedoms to Wellington's defeat of Napoleon 194 years ago today, and about how little war has changed in the past 200 years.

A sample:

It is still the American century, though we’ve now spilled into the 21st, and remain in direct combat and political manuevers with multiple adversaries that would like to bring it to an end. It is the same battle that Wellington fought against autocratic tyranny at Waterloo. You can dicker about whether, as a British general at the opening of the 19th century, he represented freedom, but for Europe and ultimately the world he did. This is the battle that never ends, and that we still fight. It remains, like Waterloo, a close-run thing.

Go read it all.

H/T Jules Crittenden

I Met Phil Gramm once...

...and Senator, you're no Phil Gramm.



I wouldn't even call you "ma'am", although BG Walsh upheld the highest honor and traditions of the Army by not saying what he was thinking, and calling you a slutty flight attendant.

H/T Captain Chuck in Denver

Texas Tax Cuts

Today, the Texas Legislature passed a tax cut for small businesses. In these difficult economic times, Texas understands what it takes to get and keep small companies. Wisconsin has a budget deficit? Pffft...Texas doesn't.

http://www.texaspolicy.com/press_releases_single.php?report_id=2686

Good day for Texas...not so good for other states.

H/T TexasPolicy.com

Playing Risk...with Real Countries

There's a caption contest for this picture over at Exurban League...
Go submit an entry.

Here's mine:



"Lessee...If I give Israel back to the Palestinians, where can we put those pesky Jews?"

H/T Exurban League and The Globe and Mail for the pic.

North Korea? What, Me Worry?

Watch this.



Now I'm going to cuss.

This stupid fucker is going to get Alaska nuked. What are we supposed to do, just wait on it? Go back and look at the face of Sarkozy. Even that stupid snail-eater knows BS when he hears it...and he has to press "1" for English.

Good Lord...give us infallible ABM's...and hurry!

H/T Moonbattery

Speaking of Barney Fag...

Here's Barney on CNBC. It's only a minute long, but Barney makes you feel dirty fast.



Now just think how classy Jack Welch or Ed Whitacre sounds compared to this bozo.

Who's Qualified to run GM?

I'm getting a little tired of listening to Glenn Beck and others complain about Ed Whitacre becoming the new CEO of Government Motors. Let's see why...

Here's a picture of Jack Welch of GE fame:

Now, let's assume that Mr. Welch was approached by the Obama administration to run GM. Here's a guy that has arguably created more shareholder wealth than any other CEO. I'm sure he said, "Hell, no, I won't go". But suppose that he had accepted the job. Let's also imagine his first TV interview:

Larry Kudlow: "Jack, my friend, thanks for joining me on my show. Now, let me ask you the big question: What in the world makes you think you're qualified to run GM? You've never made a car in your life. Sure, you've made jet engines, but the last time I looked, jets are not an option on a Suburban or a Corvette. What makes you think you can run a car company?"

Mr. Welch: "Larry, great question. And let me tell you...I don't know how to make a car. I've never made a jet engine either. But I know how to hire talented people, people who are smarter than I am. And I know how to empower them to design, build, and sell cars that people want. And if the government will get out of my way, we'll do that at a profit. I don't know a GE Range from a Range Rover, but I can wring costs out of a big company and make it profitable again."

Anyone have any doubt that those words could come from Mr. Welch?

Here's a picture of GM's new CEO, Ed Whitacre.

Mr. Whitacre said about the same thing yesterday. He admitted to a reporter that he didn't know anything about the car business. And now the press is killing him (figuratively). Perhaps he could have said it better, but I admire him for saying it. If he had said, "Well, you know, making a car isn't that different from making telecom switches, and I've been making those for 30 years, so I know what I'm doing", we'd have something to complain about. But he said pretty much what we imagine the great Jack Welch would say.

You may not agree with Obama's pick for Government Motors, but give Mr. Whitacre credit for being a very experienced CEO who knows how to run a big company. I for one am happier with this pick than if he'd picked, say, a GM insider, where we'd get the same old crap coming out of the GM plants.

I don't agree with bailing out GM, and I think Obama has screwed up Chrysler, GM, AIG, M.O.U.S.E, and everything else he's touched. But I'm willing to give Mr. Whitacre a chance. I've never met him, but I've been in meetings and heard him speak, and he's a straight-shooting Texan. We need some of that straight talk in Detroit -- and Washington. And I sure trust Whitacre with my $50 billion more than I would Barney Fag or Witch Pelosi with it.

Get Ready for Inflation!

This graphic should scare you. It's the growth in the money supply.

Art Laffer has a great article in The Wall Street Journal today. He makes a scary case for inflation...as in, he's right, and you should be scared. Those of us who lived through the 70's and 80's when interest rates went to 21% know what's coming.

I just refinanced my mortgage at 4.75%. That's for 30 years, folks. In 2 years when mortgage rates are 15% (or even a more modest 9% - we've seen that not too long ago), you'll be paying DOUBLE what I pay for the same house. As Ron White would say, "I know -- I've seen me do it". I'm not crowing about this...I'm warning that if you think the economy is in the pits now, wait until interest rates shoot up. How'd you like to pay 10% on a car loan for that stupid Prius clone that Gov't Motors will be making? Not me -- I'll get a new Suburban.

BOHICA.

H/T Wall Street Journal

Sad but True

H/T Moonbattery

Reagan's 40th D Day Anniversary Speech

From the Reagan Presidential Library (H/T American Rhetoric)

Rangers Lead the Way

As we recall the 65th anniversary of D-Day, take a moment to visit the National D-Day Memorial website from Bedford, VA. My father-in-law came ashore after D-Day, and was in the 78th "Lightning" Division. Let's remember the Rangers who scaled those cliffs at Pointe-du-Hoc, leading the way for all those who came after.

Say a prayer for those (then) young men, and our young men in harm's way around the world today.

H/T Soldier's Mom over at MilBlogs

BOHICA? No, BOHCOC

H/T Moonbattery